The Princess Cannot Escape: The Cunning Prince Is Not to Be Messed With

Chapter 41: A Hint

Thinking of this, Xiahou Ying pursed his lips.

He thought of Gu Lounan... and the smug, provocative look on his face when he put his hand on Yin Quan's shoulder.

A nameless rage suddenly surged within him, and his outstretched fingers curled slightly.

It's such a pity we couldn't cripple that arm.

Some opportunities, once missed, are gone forever, but Xiahou Ying is not one to dwell on the past; he will seek out better opportunities when the time is right.

Looking at the increasingly cold and gloomy expression on the person in front of her, Yin Quan felt her throat go dry.

Do you want to say something?

But what can she say now?

What if she said something wrong? Wouldn't that make him even more gloomy than he is now?

Yin Quan was conflicted.

All she could hear was the clattering sound of the wheels turning, but the nail-studded wheels seemed to be crushing her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.

Damn! This atmosphere is so awkward!

Yin Quan, who was so conflicted that she was starting to roar in her heart.

We're all time travelers, so why is it that others can do business, compose poetry, practice martial arts, and grow vegetables, while I can't do any of those things when it's my turn?!

So, her modern-day lawyer's license was just a worthless piece of paper in ancient times, capable of handling absolutely nothing?!

What a joke!

Yin Quan wanted to scratch the wall.

God, could you please give me a hint when you have a moment?

Her angry curses turned into wails. Yin Quan moved her lips repeatedly, but couldn't utter a sound for a long time. Then the carriage suddenly slowed down, and she inadvertently met Xiahou Ying's gaze.

She abruptly turned her head away, inwardly wailing.

Damn it, why is she avoiding his gaze?!

She's so open and honest; how could she have been caught so quickly after only glancing at him twice?!

Could this be a hint from God?!

Thinking this, Yin Quan was almost in tears.

She tentatively turned back, but became even more conflicted. Xiahou Ying didn't even look at her; instead, he lifted the square curtain inside the carriage and asked, "Have you noticed anything unusual?"

"Ten men each from the southwest and southeast, within five zhang of each other, wielding different weapons, accompanied by five wolves," Pang Ban replied in a deep voice.

"Wolves? Xiahou Ying, he just said there were wolves?" With her eyes wide open, Yin Quan seemed to have forgotten the embarrassment just now, and stared straight at the elegant man in white robes opposite her.

Xiahou Ying frowned as she looked at her, pursed her lips, and did not answer immediately.

He couldn't quite understand her expression at that moment. Was it excitement? Agitation?

Wolves are social animals, inherently ferocious and bloodthirsty. Not to mention women, even seasoned soldiers would turn pale at the mere mention of their name.

He suddenly began to wonder if the light inside the carriage was insufficient and if he was seeing things incorrectly.

“Not bad…” After a long silence, Xiahou Ying spoke, as if he wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by the person in front of him.

"They must have been carrying a lot of poison, right? Maybe some kind of poisonous fumes?"

"You're going to use the wind to spread poisonous smoke?" Xiahou Ying asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Yin Quan.

"Well, the poisonous fumes won't take effect immediately after being inhaled, which gives us time to make demands. Those people are organized, disciplined, and not reckless, which means they value their lives or have other goals. They wouldn't act rashly unless they were absolutely certain. They've been following us for so long; if it were your political enemies, they would probably have made their move long ago, right?"

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Ying's thin lips, which had been pressed tightly together, suddenly loosened slightly.

When did she start taking into account even their upwind position...?

It is truly astonishing that so much information could be gleaned from just a few words spoken by Pang Ban, and that this information was presented logically and with evidence.

"Wei Jun, set off the smoke cord." Xiahou Ying gave a concise order, then lowered the small square curtain, looked at Yin Quan, and said with pursed lips, "You seem to know quite a lot."

“There are many, and many things I don’t want to know.” Meeting his deep, dark eyes, as clear as the cold moonlight, Yin Quan grinned.

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Ying looked away, remained silent for a moment, and then continued, "Is it about Han Zhenye?"

Frowning, Yin Quan was somewhat taken aback.

How did he know?!

Just how much does he know?!

No way! How could he possibly know about that bastard Han Zhenye?!

"If you don't want to say it, then don't say it."

Just as he was lost in thought, Xiahou Ying's cold voice drifted over.

Uh……

Yin Quan was suddenly speechless.

She was almost certain that the aloof guy across from her was putting on airs again.

You're obviously dying to know, aren't you?!

I've been bothered by the story of Lai Liaobu for a while, but now it's Han Zhenye's turn?

Would it kill you to just admit it outright?

It won't cost you anything...

Raising an eyebrow, Yin Quan glanced at Xiahou Ying, who remained expressionless, and pouted.

"He was my ex-boyfriend, he slept with my ex-best friend, and then I cruelly and heartlessly dumped him!"

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Ying fell silent.

What she said was perhaps a bit too concise... and too casual.

Recalling how she was crying while vomiting blood and calling out that person's name when she was delirious from poisoning, he couldn't imagine that when she was lucid, she could talk about that person as if it were a trivial joke.

"I don't think I mentioned that bastard to you, did I? Could you read minds, Xiahou Ying?!"

"...You're talking in your sleep."

"I was talking in my sleep?! What... what did I say..." Yin Quan was shocked, and a little nervous at the same time.

Did she say something she shouldn't have?!

"I only mentioned her name." Xiahou Ying said indifferently, no longer looking at her.

“Oh…” Yin Quan shrank her neck and looked outside.

The pale blue smoke rushed backward, spreading rapidly through the forest and engulfing the entire grove in an instant, like a surging tide, overwhelming everything.

Almost simultaneously, several figures shot up from the smoke, but their bodies wobbled as they leaped into the air and they all fell down.

There was no howling of wolves in her ears, so Yin Quan knew that the poison smoke had worked.

But at this moment, she felt no satisfaction.

She had already experienced Xiahou Ying's style of doing things; although it was somewhat simple and crude, it was understandable.

She believed that the poisonous smoke released by Wei Jun was not deadly, but it would certainly not make those people feel better.

The carriage moved forward, and soon the pale blue poisonous smoke disappeared from sight.

As the sun set in the evening, they arrived at Danqu, the county town closest to Zhaoyang.

When the carriage entered the city gate, the magistrate of Danqu County was already waiting there with his staff, their heads bowed and eyes lowered. There wasn't a single commoner coming or going around the city gate, clearly indicating that they had made ample preparations.

Xiahou Ying glanced indifferently out through the pale gold window screen of the carriage and knew that this must be someone's masterpiece.

He would likely pass through numerous prefectures and counties along his journey; many routes had probably already been drawn up and were waiting for him.

Gu Lounan really put in a lot of effort.

I just wonder if there was another person inside the carriage involved...

Thinking of this, he suddenly frowned.

A strange feeling rose in his heart, as if a thousand or ten thousand tentacles were scratching incessantly inside his lungs, both itchy and painful, and accompanied by a strange heat, which disturbed his internal energy and made him have to concentrate on regulating his breathing to avoid having that strange impulse rise again.

"Wei Jun, stop the carriage." Xiahou Ying whispered the order, glanced at Yin Quan, and said, "You stay in the carriage." He then jumped down from the carriage. At the same time, Wei Jun also jumped down from the carriage shaft and quickly walked to him. Just as he was about to speak, the leader of the group at the city gate suddenly stepped forward and said loudly, "This humble official, Li Wan, the magistrate of Danqu County, was unaware of the arrival of Prince Duan. I have failed to greet you properly, please forgive me, Your Highness!"

Glancing at the slightly hunched figure, Wei Jun pursed his lips imperceptibly.

I wondered why they were still waiting here... Magistrate Li's ability to lie through his teeth has certainly improved...

"Fine, ignorance is no excuse." With a casual wave of his hand, Xiahou Ying walked past Li Wan, who was bowing and bending over, as if he hadn't seen him at all.

Maintaining his respectful posture, Magistrate Li, with a slight hunchback, turned his body in the direction the prince was walking and continued, "It is a blessing for me and the people to have Your Highness's presence. Please allow me to make amends for my negligence today, which can be considered a small token of my appreciation to the people of Danqu."

“Prince Duan must be tired from his journey. Would you please ask Magistrate Li to arrange accommodations first?” Wei Jun asked with a smile, blocking Li Wan’s way.

Upon hearing this, the magistrate of Danqu paused slightly, his hunched back frozen in place, as if pondering how to respond. Before he could speak, Xiahou Ying's cold and indifferent voice rang out: "No need for extravagance. I, the prince, will suffice to stay within the county government office."

"No, no! How could I let Your Highness condescend to do that..." Hearing him say that, Li Wan obviously came to her senses and quickly waved her hand.

"So, Lord Li, you don't welcome me living with you?" Before he could finish speaking, Xiahou Ying slowly moved his thin red lips, deliberately emphasizing the words "Lord Li." Every word he uttered exuded a chilling aura that seemed to emanate from him, penetrating the black official robes of the magistrate of Danqu and seeping into every pore of his body, making him shiver with cold.

"No, no, no, this humble official dares not..." His scalp tingled and cold sweat poured down his face. Magistrate Li's dark purplish-red lips trembled slightly.

"Then I'll trouble Magistrate Li to lead the way." With that, Xiahou Ying turned around and nodded slightly to him. He then lifted his robe, bent down, and stepped into the carriage. Behind him, Wei Jun jumped back onto the carriage shaft, cracked his whip, and drove the carriage to follow the sweating Magistrate Danqu.

Danqu County is not large; in less than half an incense stick's time, the carriage arrived at the dark red gate of the county government office.

Upon seeing Yin Quan jump down from the carriage, Magistrate Li immediately opened his eyes, clearly somewhat surprised.

He only knew that Prince Duan would pass through this place, but he did not know that this prince would bring a female relative with him on his way to the Mongol tribe, which was really quite puzzling.

The Imperial Advisor's information was incorrect...

While feeling somewhat aggrieved, Magistrate Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he hadn't said anything wrong in a moment of carelessness, otherwise he would have completely offended this person.

Thinking of this, Li Wan raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead, hoping that the Imperial Advisor's men would not arrive too early, and that they would take action after Prince Duan left his county office, so as not to get involved with him.